Reporting bears

RAY BROOK — DEC Region 5 Wildlife Biologist Jim Stickles said it is important for people to report bear incidents or encounters early — at the first encounter — which allows the agency to begin collecting data points on each bear.

“Reporting sooner, at the first incident, is helpful. Sometimes people will put up with it getting into the garbage for two or three weeks before they call,” Stickles said.

In addition to keeping food stuffs and garbage enclosed or contained, people should not feed bears, he said.

In the first place, it’s illegal.

But secondly, a bear habituated to people and human food items creates a dangerous situation, Stickles said.

“A bear then becomes habituated to other people in the area, including children. People who feed bears are putting other people around them in danger,” Stickles said.

So far, the bear biologist has logged 109 bear complaints in the Adirondacks, and the season isn’t over yet.

“That’s a lot,” Stickles said. “The average is 90 reports for an entire season.”

The majority of complaints are about bears raiding garbage cans and bird feeders.